Presents, Surprises, and Problems
by Chibitiza
Summary: You would believe Link loved the life of a hero. Wrong. Even after Seven years and three adventures of saving three seperate worlds, Link was denied the woman he wanted and the life he wanted to return to. Now he turns to the drink to drown his sorrows much to everyone's surprise. All he wanted was peace. But fate has other plans. Post Twilight Princess.
1. Chapter 1 Barfight in Castle Town Square

**Presents, Surprises, and Problems**

Chapter 1

_Barfight in Castle Town Square_

"Another shot, Telma"

A large mug filled with bright golden liquid smoothly slid down the bar and abruptly stopped from the blockage of a gloved man's hand. The man gripped the mug tightly, and with great care downed Goron bourbon in one shot. With the drink finished, the man slammed down the mug loudly and then moved it to the side to a party of 11 other empty mugs. The man had dark blond hair, now unkempt and had grown down to his shoulders leaving his bangs the only thing that hadn't grown much. His once piercing blue eyes which showed the fierceness of a feral wolf now had a look of a person who just found out his wife was having an affair behind his back. His face that once was clean shaven with the face of a youth growing into adulthood now sported a five o' clock shadow that circled his mouth and chin. And His green tunic that once was clean with the pride of a hero is now stained badly with dirt, dust and blood from bar fights. Anyone who didn't know that he was the Hero of Twilight would most certainly mistake him as a traveling mercenary in Hyrule. Anyone that did know him would wonder why the Hero of Twilight went so low as to be a drunk after saving Hyrule.

"hon, I think you've had enough Goron bourbon for today" Telma said with concern.

"Aw… comon Tel…" Link whined with a slurred voice, "just onemor"

"No Link, and I can tell you've had more than enough" Telma sternly said.

"…fine."

"Hon, I'm worried about you, ever since she left, you've been drinking 'til you're cucco, are you listening hon?"

Link stopped paying attention at the word 'she'. The word 'she' brought pain to Link. The word 'she' meant 'her'. And by 'her' it meant Midna. It's been three months since he last saw her. Painful Memories he struggled to suppress with alcohol started rising back up. Their first encounter, how he closely worked with her to save Hyrule. Their first kiss, that fateful night they made love, the day she left him forever. Bringing a hand up to his head in an effort to suppress those memories, Link cringed in mental pain.

"Link, you okay hon?"

"You mentioned ….her" Link made a painful effort to say the last word.

"Oh… I'm sorry hon."

"It's okay Tel"

Telma had forgotten that any mentioning of Midna became painful to Link after what he went through from the heartbreak. Since then, she, Zelda, and the others who were close to Link were careful with their words whenever they were around him, avoiding the subject as if it was taboo.

After paying for the drinks, Link stood up from his seat, accidentally knocking it down backwards and tripped a large soldier, spilling his drinks on himself. Clearly pissed off, the soldier recovered and turned to yell at Link, hollering:

"Hey, watch it you drunk bastard!"

Link however, paid no attention to the soldier as he swaggered towards the door, clumsily opened it, and went out.

Grumbling under his breath, the soldier who tripped over Link's fallen seat returned to his tablemates and after a few moments of discussion, left with his friends to find vengeance at the drunk who tripped him. Once the gang of drunken soldiers was out of sight, a bar patron stood up from his seat, and went to the bar to pay his bills.

The patron walked up to Telma and spoke.

"That boy's gonna be in big trouble" said the patron.

"I'd doubt it, that boy's been through more of hell than we can imagine, what's got you worried?" Telma quizzically asked.

"I'm just concerned about him, it seems like he shouldn't be here and yet here he is, wasting his youth away, and what do you mean he's been through more of hell anyways?"

Telma looked around as if the bar patron in green was still in the bar, then turned and whispered to the concerned patron.

"He's Hyrule's hero"

"Huh" the patron mused in surprise

"Several months ago, there was a Kingdom in another place called the **Twilight Realm**, that kingdom was taken over by somethin' evil, and that evil made that kingdom invade our kingdom. Somehow made it past our defenses and forced Hyrule to surrender."

"Wow" the patron now interested, craned his neck closer to Telma.

"That's not all, that boy there with nothing but a sword and shield and the clothes on his back, fought back, reclaimed Hyrule, and liberated the other kingdom too. And that's not all, that boy had a traveling companion who just so turns out to be the princess of the other kingdom and both of them fell in love with each other. But the tragic thing is hon, after all the shit the boy and the princess went through, she left him."

Outside the bar, the various sounds of people and objects suddenly elevated in volume, followed by screams and swearing.

"Oh… boy" said the patron with sympathy.

_Moments before…_

Link stumbled out of the bar and into broad daylight, hissing as the noon sun burned his eyes.

_Hyrule town is never this bright_

It was midday, and Castle town was in the midst of recovering from the incident of the castle explosion. Most of the debris were picked up and cleaned and Castle town was busy not with commoners, but mostly soldiers and workers scurrying through the east and west entrances with supplies.

South Castle town being the farthest from the castle was back to its former glory, as busy as ever. The business was soon interrupted when a drunken Link tried to move with the traffic, bumping into a delivery boy and setting a chain reaction of bumping and tripping other people, contents flying everywhere.

Link however paid no attention to the chaos he made as he was focusing on his vision and trying to walk in a straight line.

Upon reaching the center square of Castle town, Link hauled himself to the edge of the fountain, and threw his afternoon lunch out his stomach. Stomach emptied, Link sat on the edge of the fountain, reflecting on what had happened after Midna broke their connection.

_Flashback… (Three Months ago)_

_CRASH _

_The mirror shattered, its pieces scattering about in the wind, some of them, landing on the sand, some in large shards breaking into ever smaller pieces._

_The Obsidian monolith became blank, the ancient lines that marked the portal faded away. The two Hylians stood there looking between the empty mirror frame and the giant black monolith, its smooth reflective features glistening in the falling twilight._

_Link fell to his knees staring at the portal stone, unable to accept what had happened, waiting for the portal to reappear and to see that woman come back and finish what she was about to say. _

_Slowly realizing the events that had passed weren't dreams or illusions, he sunk even further. Arms and knees supporting his weight, tears slowly forming in his –_

"Oh hoho… look what we have here, it's the drunken bastard who tripped me at Tel's Bar" a slurred voice broke his train of thoughts.

Link looked up and found himself surrounded by drunken Hylian soldiers, but with nausea and his increased sensitivity to sunlight in midday he couldn't focus his sight at the leader.

"wha do ya want?" Link weakly asked, his voice as slurred as the drunken soldier. He held up a hand to block the sunlight from his eyes.

As if the statement was an insult, the leader of the group snarled and grabbed Link by the neck of his collar and yelled "Don't fuck with me boy!"

In an instant those within earshot stopped what they were doing and looked at the ongoing commotion, curious as to why would a group of drunken Hylian soldiers would pick a fight in the middle of the day.

Then one of the other soldiers spoke. "H-hey, I know that face. He's that boy who saved Hyrule! Yeah, he's the Hero of Hyrule!"

"Is that so?" said the leader. He looked at Link, eyes trying to confirm Link's Identity.

_Shit._ Link thought. _Goddesses please let them mistake my Identity._

Then the leader's eyes trailed to Link's left hand looking at the faint triforce marking. A smirk formed on his face. "Well, well, well. If it isn't **Sir** **Link** of **Ordon**" he sneered. A fist flew at Link's face, and Link was sent to the floor near the base of the fountain, momentarily dazed from the blow. Some onlookers screamed, some went to run for help, many were frozen on the spot from the sight of the commotion.

"Well some Hero you are…" A foot came up on Link's stomach, and sent him rolling over hacking blood. The rest of the soldiers snickered.

"You spilled my drink and made a mess of the market sector of Castle town" he spat. He grabbed Link's head, turned it so that he could see South Castle town, and then kneed his chest.

"So for doing that," Link was picked up by two other drunken soldiers, holding his arms in place so that he couldn't move them. The lead soldier leaned in and whispered in Link's ear. "I'm gonna spill your face all over this square for your precious princess to see it."

He then drew back and threw a sucker punch at Link's face, seemingly knocking Link out. Satisfied, the lead soldier of the drunken group left Link there for the humiliation, the rest of the group followed. Just as he was halfway between the square and the entrance to South Castle Town, a hand was placed on the collar of his chest armor and was turned around to face an angry Link.

The moment he saw the anger in Link's eyes, he was stricken with fear for messing with an angry beast. Link then grabbed the soldier by the neck of his chainmail shirt and threw him with such force that the soldier's momentum was broke the Triforce symbol on the head of the fountain, knocking it off the fountain.

The lead soldier landed at the edge of the fountain on the opposite side, groaning in pain. The rest looked at the leader who was thrown then at Link, noticing that the Link they assaulted was a different Link. Even when drunk, they could tell that this Link is gonna give them hell.

All of them had one thought in their mind: _Oh shit._

Link was angry. No, beyond angry. _Those drunks are gonna pay for what they just did._ Not only did he felt angry, he felt power flowing through him. His left hand was searing hot, he was glowing with a golden aura, and he instantly felt sober.

Now with a clear head, he looked at the fountain and the lead soldier that was thrown. Then looking at the rest of the group who were scared stiff, he growled, cracked his knuckles, and attacked.

Link first grabbed the soldier nearest to him, gave him a vicious head butt to the head and kicked him in the chest, sending him colliding into a pair of Gorons carrying a wagonload of Iron I-beams. Taking advantage of the distracted soldiers he then quickly approached the next one and quickly disarmed him, shoving the soldier into another soldier, both of them tripping over the edge of the fountain and falling into it. By now, the three remaining members of the drunken company instantly sobered up and ran for help. Growling, Link reached into his magical pouch and pulled out his double clawshots. Instinctively aimed in separate directions, and fired with both claw shots successfully finding their intended targets.

"GET OVER HERE!" Link yelled as he pulled, bringing both clawshots and their hooked targets careening towards each other. Both soldiers collided with a loud CRUNCH and were instantly knocked out cold. Still not satisfied about the beating he gave, he then turned his attention towards the leader of the drunken company who had recovered from the throw. Looking at Link, he turned pale and started to plead with him.

"P-please don't kill me Sir Link, I didn't mean it. I swear!" Link gruffly grabbed the lead soldier's shirt by the collar and raised a fist. A glowing triforce symbol appeared just before his knuckles, and his left fist glowed bright yellow.

"Please mercy!" the lead soldier pleaded.

"Mercy your ass." retorted Link and with a deafening thwack, punched-out the soldier cold.

Elsewhere, the soldier who had luckily escaped Link had reached the entrance to Hyrule Castle. Panting for breath, he spotted Princess Zelda and quickly ran towards her.

Zelda noticed the soldier and quickly approached. She came down to the courtyard because of her triforce mark resonating ominously when she pointed it towards Castle town. _Maybe this soldier has the answer to what's happening._ She thought.

"Prin…*hah* cess…*hah*…Zelda…" the soldier panted.

"Calm down soldier, now tell me what's happening" Zelda calmly said.

"Need….Re….enforcments…call…. white …. Knights"

"Why?"

"D-d….Demon!"

"A demon? Here in Castle Town!"

The soldier finally caught his breath, and then frantically explained what happened.

"I don't know your highness, we were just having fun and Cid got pissed at some guy in green who spilled his drinks. We went to teach that guy a lesson and we did. But then he got pissed and started glowing and started beating the crap out of everyone. He was like a demon, man. A demon! Zelda, call reinforcements, and run! Run before you—"a claw latched onto the back of his chest plate, eyes widening the soldier screamed "OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIII—" and was yanked out of sight.

Right then and there, Zelda knew what was going on thanks to her triforce of wisdom. It dawned on her in her mind that Link was on rampage for some reason and is now wreaking havoc in the town square. And it has to be related by the fact that the soldier who was yanked away was in fact drunk. Nevertheless, she could not stand to have Link make himself look like a fool or ruin their reputation.

Looking towards the castle, she issued an order.

"I call for the White Hylian Knights!" she called in a loud authoritative voice.

**Note: If you're wondering about the Hylian White Knights, you'll hear about their backstory in the next chapter**

**So, what do you think of the first chapter of my first fanfic? Sorry for the bad cliffhanger people.**

**I would like long good and numerous reviews! It would be much appreciated for the feedback.**

**Also, I might make some changes to the chapters here and there without notice so please don't flame me!**

**Update 5/21/12: Made some grammar revisions and what not.**

**Until then readers!**

**- Chibitiza**


	2. Chapter 2  The Cops are here

**Presents, Surprises, and Problems**

Chapter 2

_The Cops are here..._

* * *

><p>"Do I make myself clear?" Link snarled.<p>

"Yes! Yes I understand!" cried the frightened soldier.

"Good, now scram!"

The soldier was then shoved away. Panicking, the soldier ran towards the castle and tripped over in an effort to flee.

"Bitch"

Link and turned to exit through the west side of Castle town. The brawl that Link had with the company of drunken soldiers had made the whole town square deserted. Everyone hid in every place conceivable. Shop owners hastily closed their doors. Homeowners closed their windows. And Pedestrians kept a good distance from Link, afraid that they would be the next victim of his rage.

With his rage gone, Link no longer glowed with power. Now calm and sober, but now depressed that Midna was mentioned, Link walked over to the broken fountain to drown his sorrows with booze. Sitting on the edge of the fountain, he reached in his magical pouch and pulled out a bottle of Goron Bourbon.

Humming "Song of Storms", he popped the cork and took a swig. Waiting for the drunken effects of alcohol to take hold, he pulled out a pendant hanging from a necklace. the pendant was shaped like it was a shard of broken crystal. Its Sunset orange color and traces of swirled around the Onyx crystal, giving it a dark, yet warm glow. Link looked at the crystal in a reflective manner but at the same time was saddened at the sight of it. The crystal was a gift given to him by Midna on his 18th birthday and it reminded him of her. It was a curse as it forced Link to transform into his wolf form with no way of reverting back. But after the Master Sword purged it from his body, both he and Midna kept the shadow crystal as it was useful in switching forms as well as using the twili portals. Later on this birthday, Midna changed the crystal so that he could touch it and still access its shadow magic to change between his hylian and wolf forms. Just once he wished to the Goddesses that he could see her again.

"Freeze, Scoundrel." a metallic voice broke Link's trance.

Looking up, he found himself facing the point of a large longsword. Puzzled, he traced the sword back to its origins and found its wielder to be a large knight that closely resembled the Dark Nut he fought in the temple of time. _Why the hell is there a Dark Nut here pointing its fucking sword at me? _Link thought. He then noticed that there was not one, but several Dark Nuts surrounding him; not only that, their armor color was a shining white and their chest plates had the familiar Golden symbol of the Hylian Royal Family.

_Great, it's the Hylian White Knights… What a surprise… _He could have sworn that the Bourbon he held in his hand was too strong but knew he wasn't drunk because he wasn't seeing double vision.

_Why did I even suggest the idea to her?_ Link silently mused as his mind went back to the time he suggested the idea to princess Zelda….

_Flashback… (Ten days after Midna's departure)_

"_I'm here… your highness…" Link dully called out as he entered Zelda's room. Or temporary room at that until the upper floors including the throne room is rebuilt._

_"Have a seat, Link." Link slowly walked over and took a seat, face clearly showing pain as he was slightly clutching his forehead and squinting his eyes as if he had developed a weak affinity to light.  
><em>

_"Link, are you okay? you look pale."  
><em>

_"Nah I'm okay, just had a hangover."_

_"You started drinking!" Zelda asked in surprise.__ "Aggh... Not so loud, Zelda..."__ Link hissed at the unexpected rise in volume._

_ "Sorry..." apologized Zelda. "Since when __you __ were allowed to drink liquor?" she added with a softer voice.  
><em>

_"Since I turned 18 about two weeks ago." Link replied, slightly relieved at the lowered volume. "And what gives you the right to drink?" Zelda sarcastically spoke. _

_"Hey, I just wanted to drown those memories out okay? I'm not the kind of person who take a heartbreak like it nothing happened." His voice started to crack at the last statement.  
><em>

_"Oh... right."_

_ 'He still isn't over the fact of what happened at Arbiter's grounds I guess' Zelda thought. _

_ "Can I get you some water? It'll help with the hangover." she asked.  
><em>

_"Sure" he said. A maid was called and shortly after, a mug full of water was brought up. Link immediately took it and started chugging it down in large gulps.  
><em>

_"Be sure to drink it slowly, it won't help if you drink it too fast" Zelda added. Link nodded, and resumed drinking his mug of water, albeit, more slowly. Zelda then went to state her business. "I summoned you because I have a proposition for you," she hesitated for a moment, and then told him:  
><em>

_"I want you to become captain of the Hylian Royal Guard."_

_The words made Link choke on his water, which he recovered quickly and looked at her in astonishment. "You, want ME to become captain of the Hylian Royal Guard?" he asked in surprise. Zelda sheepishly nodded, but kept her stern face confirming that this request was no joke.  
><em>

_"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no." Link quickly rejected. "No way, no frigging way I'm gonna be Captain of the Hylian Guard." _

_"W-why?" Zelda inquired. This wasn't the first time Link refused an offer, as he commonly does that to her. _

_"Its because I don't like it. Its too much of a hassle. Plus I'm a ranch hand, so I don't think it will help the job." Link replied in a bored manner, as if he had been approached with the same question.  
><em>

_"I understand, but there's a reason why I'm making this request. When I surrendered to Zant and his forces in the Twilight Invasion of Hyrule, there's been a huge drop of morale in the Guard. I fear that it might go to the point of deserting the Guard altogether, and without the Hylian Royal Guard, Hyrule can't defend itself properly and it will be just another repeat of the Twilight Crisis. I need you to become captain so your presence will hold the Guard long enough for Hyrule to recover enough to fend of another attack."_

_Link sighed audibly shortly after Zelda was done talking. He was starting to get irritated that the princes won't take no for an answer "I thank you for having me visit you occasionally, but my answer is still no." and got up to leave.  
><em>

_"Please Link," Zelda begged, "You're a hero to them Link, the people put their trust in you. Without you, the people of Hyrule are uncertain on whether I can keep things in control. With you being the captain of the Royal Guard, you can instill some faith in the people and hold the __Guard __ together long enough for us to recover and be battle ready when an the threat of another invasion arises."_

_Link stopped in his tracks, and turned around facing Zelda, frustration and anger creeping in on his face.  
><em>

_"You know what? I'll give you a good reason. Those people you recruited as 'Guards'-" he pointed towards a new recruit walking by "-are wimps, all they do is march around looking like they're keeping order, but at the sight of a Bulblin, they panic and run like cuccos scared out of their heads." Link was trying hard not to scream in front of Zelda. "And I was wondering, why Did I have to go through all of this crap only to lose more than what I've achieved? I mean if the Hylian Guard was made up of Dark Nuts, then Hyrule would've stood a chance in the first place!"_

_And that's not all, If I were to take your offer, and become 'captain', it wouldn't make a difference because I'll have to do all of the work in the end while your excuse of a Hylian Royal Guard hides behind me and drink their worries away!"_

_Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, he then said "I'm sorry princess, but I'll have to decline your offer."_

_"And do what? Drown yourself in alcohol trying to drown the fact that Midna destroyed the mirror to benefit all of us? I'm sure she wouldn't approve of you doing that." Link froze from the statement. Zelda instantly regretted what she said. She had crossed the line.  
><em>

_There was a brief moment of eerie silence before Link spoke.  
><em>

_"You have no idea" barely audible for Zelda to hear.  
><em>

_"Pardon?"_

_"You have no idea as to what she means to me, Zelda." He repeated, a bit louder and anger brooding in his voice.  
><em>

_"What do you-"_

_"I LOVED HER! DIN DAMMIT!" Link yelled, jumping from his seat with the sudden loudness of his voice making Zelda jump in her seat. He collapsed to his knees emotionally distraught with tears streaming down his face as he tried to prevent himself from crying and remembering the heartbreak, leaving sniffling and muffled cries __only sounds to escape. __Zelda didn't expect this to happen, more so his confession that he loved Midna as it was the first time she heard it. She couldn't help but feel guilty and sad that she crossed the line, as if it was forbidden by the Goddesses. Like a mother comforting her crying son, she got down and pulled Link into her embrace, and let him cry out his sorrows._

_ "Princess Zelda? Are you alright? I heard someone-" A maid came in to investigate._

_"Marie, now's not a good time, please leave." Zelda said sternly. _

_The maid seemed perplexed at the request, but when she saw the Hero and heard his muffled cries, she understood immediately and hastily exited the room. _

_Several minutes passed and Link's muffled cries and sniffs have died down in frequency and volume.  
><em>

_"Link... are you okay now? do you feel like talking again?" Zelda gently asked, as if he wasn't done yet.  
><em>

_"Y-yes..." came a muffled reply. Link was now calm, but his face showed the trails of tears that had rolled down his face.  
><em>

_Letting Link out of her hug, she changed the subject.  
><em>

_"Just then, you said something about Dark Nuts. I've seen them when they bring up food to me during the time I was held as a prisoner, and the way you said it makes it sound like they're knights or something."_

_ "They are knights, at least in what they actually look like."  
><em>

_"Tell me more about them, please." Zelda said with interest in her eyes.  
><em>

_Perplexed at the sudden change in topic but somewhat glad that the previous topic was avoided, he answered, "Okay, if you say so..."  
><em>

_...  
><em>

_After much explanation, Zelda thanked Link for the explanation and told him of her plan. He was surprised at the absurdity of it but said to give it a try as long as it didn't involve him being captain of the Hylian Guard. She then went to propose the idea of recruiting Dark Nuts to the Hylian Council, which they surprisingly agreed when Zelda mentioned that it was Link's idea. Once done, she and Link went to numerous Dark Nut encampments that remained after Ganondorf's army scattered to recruit them. After much negotiations, they reached upon a deal. The Dark Nuts and their brethren were to serve the Hylian Royal Guard as a separate branch and teach new recruits in order to build fighting strength of the Hylian Guard. In return, they were given amnesty for their participation in the invasion of Hyrule and freedom to roam and live in Hyrule.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Link's memory trip was interrupted again when the Dark Nut who had his sword pointed at him, gave him a small prod.<p>

"What?" Link asked, slightly annoyed.

"Are you the one who caused all the damage in the Square?" said the Dark Nut who had prodded Link. The Dark Nut had was white armor with gold trim like the rest. but wore a flowing silver and red cape, signalling his rank as captain of the group. Link recognized that the Captain was a Sword Nut, from looking at the Helmet's crest that protruded like a fan.

"Don't ask me, he's the one who started it." replied Link, jabbing his thumb at the unconscious Cid who was sprawled on the ground out cold several meters away.

"That doesn't matter, what does matter is that you are arrested for disturbing the peace, assaulting several Hylian Guards, and the destruction of property."

"*sigh* you're as zealous and hardheaded as your helmet, even back then when you tried to kill me." said Link.

"What did you say!" the Dark Nut snarled, clearly angry from the insult.

"Garen!"

All heads turned towards the source of the voice. What they saw was none other than the Princess of Hyrule, not only that, she looked annoyed, even angry.

"I thought I told you to arrest the hero, not to start a fight with him."

"Like I said, you're as zealous and hardheaded as your helmet." Link added.

"I-I'm sorry..." Garen sheepishly said, looking flustered, "Jax! Barrett! you heard her, arrest him."

The corresponding Dark Nuts nodded and grabbed Link by the arms and cuffed them behind his back. Link offered no resistance, knowing the situation.

"Send him to the dungeon!" Garen barked.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda series, the ownership is rightfully owned by Miyamoto. However, I do own Cid, Garen, Jax, and Barrett though.<strong>

**Link gets arrested? To find out, you must painfully wait for the next chapter.**

**I would like long and constructive reviews. No flames please.**

**- Chibitiza  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Roughhousing in the Big house

**Presents, Surprises, and Problems**

Chapter 3

_Roughhousing in the Big House  
><em>

* * *

><p>The new's of Link's rampage and arrest sent shockwaves throughout the Hylian community. Everyone was shocked on what Link had done. Rumors spread about like wildfire on the motives behind the incident. Versions varied far and wide, but none came as close to the truth. Since Cid and his company were beaten into a coma by Link, the Hylian soldier who had miraclulously survived the fray was brought into question by Zelda and the White Knights, but refused to cooperate due to the trauma Link had inflicted on the poor soul. As for Link, he was promptly placed in a dungeon cell without questioning.<p>

Link sat in a corner of his cell, leaning against the wall and staring at the wall opposite of him and sighed in depression. His left ankle was chained to the floor in the center of the cell, restricting his movements. _Funny _He thought, back then he was also in a similar predicament but as a wolf.

The cell was approximately the same size that he was confined to when he was a wolf. There was a straw bed in the corner opposite of him, there was a small stool near the cell door for visits, and there was a corner section of the cell bars that didn't go all the way through the ground. Link smiled at the last fact. He couldn't help but recall the recent events that resulted in him ending up in this dungeon cell. Now that he thought about it, he looked at his left hand namely his triforce marking. It felt weird, when he was angry and dishing pain and hell out of the drunken soldiers, but now it doesn't react when he tried to replicate the feeling. Link's thoughts were broken again when his ears twitched from the faint sound of approaching footsteps faraway. _It's probably her_ Link thought. Taking out the bottle of Goron Bourbon, he popped the cork and took another swig, waiting for the interogator to arrive.

Zelda paced down the hall towards the dungeon levels, stern and quiet. This was unusual for Zelda to be like this and it troubled her. But she had a good reason to be in this troubled mood. The last time she saw the Hero of Twilight, he was fine but had issues with getting over the heartbreak he had. And that was only ten days after Midna departed. Three months after Midna departs and she finds Link creating a commotion in the castle town square? _Oh Naryu, this doesn't make any sense _she thought as she stopped in front of the cell bars of Link's cell. She then sat down on a seat next to the cell bars that was prepared for her to sit on for visits and looked into the dungeon. Easily spotting Link by tracing the chain links to his ankle, Zelda called out:

"A-ahem." The figure in the corner slowly sifted and stood up. With heavy swaggering footsteps, he walked towards the stool and sat down on it, facing her. Zelda's eyes widened in shock as she took in the Link's new face. The last time she looked in his face it still had the look of an energetic teen youth. Now it was replaced by the face that nearly resembled a sad grizzled man. His dark blond hair was matted, unkempt and had grown violently down the top of his shoulders save for his bangs. The clean handsome face that Zelda vividly remember was now dirty and rugged, with stubbly hair that circled his mouth and chin. And the eyes that once showed pride and life, was now nearly devoid of it, replaced by humiliation and despair. She could even smell the alcohol in his breath, telling her that he resorted to drinking to cope with his sorrows. All of this came into one thought: _Is this really Link?_

"Goddesses, is that really you?" was all that Zelda would muster with a question.

"Three months after a heartbreak can change a man, Zelda." Link replied.

"How on Hyrule did you become like this? This isn't like you at all!" Zelda protested, "Don't you realize this? You're a criminal now! Shouldn't you be concerned abou it?" A brief silence. Then he spoke:

"I don't give a damn. I don't give a damn because after all the work, blood, sweat, tears, and hell I went through. Those bitches gave me nothing in return. And the one thing I wanted, they denied it from me." and took a swig from his bottle of Bourbon.

Zelda was flabbergasted at the answer Link gave her. It appalled her so much that she promptly left the dungeon.

"Hey! where ya goin?" Link called out from his cell, but Zelda paid no attention. Zelda went throughout the remainder of the day attending to Hylian business and the issues that have yet to be solved even after the twilight crisis. Finally at sunset, she took the remaining free time she had and went down to Castle town, namely Telma's Bar. "Well hi there yo' Highness!" boomed a bouncy Telma.

"Telma, can we talk?" Zelda asked. "Why sure" Telma replied, "I have time, we can talk right now."

"I'm afraid that's not what I meant." Zelda explained. Telma nodded in understanding. "One second hon," Telma said, "CLOSING TIME!, I NEED THIS PLACE EMPTY FOR SOME SPECIAL BUSINESS THIS NIGHT, SO PLEASE LEAVE. BUT NOT BEFORE PAYING YOUR BILLS!" she yelled to the patrons. The bar patrons groaned and complained, but nonetheless did as told. Once the bar was empty save for Zelda, Telma, and the rest of the Group, Telma turned to Zelda and asked. "Now what is it you want to talk about?"

Link was restless, he checked his already empty bottle of bourbon to see if there were any drops left. _Empty, damn_. He rummaged through his magical pouch to see if he still had some bottles left. _No bottles, double damn._ He had been without any kind of alcohol for 6 hours. His hands were trembling non-stop, he felt as if he were sick, and eating the food sent to him didn't help either. Link groaned in exaspiration from his withdrawal symptoms. He then looked at the corner of the bar door where the earth was slightly out of reach of from the bottom of the bars. Tentatively, he pawed the ground with his hands. The earth was soft here, and there was enough room for an animal to dig through to the other side. Link smiled. He took out his pendant from the folds of his tunic and clutched it in his hands, concentrating on how it felt like to be a wolf. Sure enough, the pendant worked its magic. Link felt his nose and jaw elongating, his senses of smell, touch, and hearing became enhanced tenfold. The bulk of his muscles converged to his shoulders, back, and gluts; and a tail grew out from him. His clothes merged with his fur, and he became smaller, the shackles at his ankle becoming too big to fit. Link was now Wolf Link. With enhanced hearing, Link now knew that the dungeon level was vacant of any Guards whatsoever. Bearing his fangs in a sly smile, Link began to dig on this quest to cure his withdrawal.

_Later that night..._

"Thank you for taking your time to discuss this with me." Zelda said. "No problem, If you need help with some'n, feel free to talk with us" said Telma as she, Zelda, and the Vigilante group walked to the entrance of Hyrule Castle. "Open the Gates!" Zelda called out. No response. "Something's wrong, usually, the castle guards would reply and open the door." Zelda said. "Auru, Rusl, do you mind opening it for us?"

"No problem Ma'am" Auru said. With that, he and Rusl both took the handle bars of doors and heaved. The doors gave way, and the group entered.

"Oh my lord..." Telma gasped. The group stood agape at what took place in the front courtyard.

The bodies of Hylian Guards lay everywhere, most of them groaning in pain. Some were heaped in a pile, many lay on the ground or sat against the walls for support. Few were knocked out cold. There were also several White Knights that were incapacitated in the mix. pieces of armor scattered about. And in the center of it sitting on a stool with several bottles of various alcoholic drinks of high caliber was Link, drunk as he could be.

"What in Din's name happened here?" Telma asked.

"I'll tell you what happened, Link went on a rampage again." Zelda stating the obvious.

"And apparently drunk at that." Auru added.

They cautiously approached Link when a voice sounded,

"I wouldn't get any closer if I were you."

They turned around to see Garen stepping out from the shadows of a nearby tree along with many other White Knights. His helmet and cape was missing, there were several dents in his armor in the shape of fists and various hand signs, and he appeared to be in rough shape but otherwise okay.

"Garen? aren't you supposed to be able to take care of this?"

"I wish I could, but to be frank, I don't think even the White Knights would be able to restrain him without hurting him like that. He's even scarier than Death Sword." replied Garen shuddering at the last part.

"I feel that he won't attack if I approach him, he seems docile now that he's had his drink." said Zelda.

"Mm-hmm... I can tell the difference." added Telma, showing that her skills as a bartender.

"Okay, but proceed with caution." Garen warned.

The group continued its way towards Link, cautious as if one misstep could trigger another episode of violence. Finally, they were only a few feet away from the drunken hero.

The drunken hero looked up, his face puzzled at his new visitors, but then smiled when he recognized Zelda. "Oh haiii Zelda... Beautiful night isn't it." Link merrily said his face flushed.

"Link, how did you manage to get out of your cell?" Zelda asked. Link's rampage in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle didn't bother at all, what bothered her was how was he able to escape his cell, more of all acquire more alcohol to drink.

"I don' know" Link said in a questioningly sing song voice. "Its a secret." he then whispered.

"Then were you the one who did all of this?" Zelda gestured to the damage surrounding Link. Link looked around with his unfocused eyes.

"Maaayyybe."

"Ugh" Zelda pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before continuing.

"Link, you can't go on like this, making yourself drunk to drown out that incident."

"Yes I can, its every man's right to." Link suddenly voiced out in anger standing from his seat. Zelda flinched as if she accidentally stepped on a nerve.

"She wouldn't approve of it." Auru told him. Big mistake.

Link snapped and tackled Auru to the ground, unleashing a fury of fists. Zelda gasped in horror of the events occurring before her eyes. Garen and several other White Knights rushed to Auru's aid but were too far away. Rusl, Shad and Ashei were stunned at the sight. Telma however, remained calm and took an empty beer bottle and smashed it on the back of Link's head. Like magic, Link was knocked out cold and slumped off of Auru. Shad helped Auru to his feet as Ashei and Zelda stood in silence at the knocked out Link. Garen and the White Knights arrived shortly after.

"Is everyone alright? Are you hurt Princess Zelda?" Garen asked in a concerned tone.

"I am fine, so is Miss Telma, Ashei, Rusl, and Shad." Zelda replied.

"A little beaten up, but otherwise okay unlike those poor fellows" Auru replied, his face bruised from Link's beating.

"That's good to know then." Garen said. "White Knights!" he called out. The knights instantly stood in formation and awaited orders. "You two" he turned towards two knights, a pair of hammer knights "shall carry the criminal back to his cell, and be sure to tighten his restraints. When you're done, report back to me." The pair of hammer knights nodded and proceeded to drag Link back to his cell. With a satisfied nodd, Garen turned to the rest of the surviving company. "The rest of you, I'm splitting you into two groups." The company instantly divided itself into two equal groups at Garen's word. "I want you" Garen peered at the left half of the company "to tend to the wounded and unconscious". "The rest of you" Garen turned his eyeless gaze towards the right side "I need you to clean up the damage. All of you will report back to me when you are done with your tasks."

"Yes sir!" the company shouted in unison. "Now go!" Garen shouted, and with that the surviving company of the Hylian White Knights departed with their orders.

There was a brief moment of silence as Garen, Zelda, and the Vigilante group watched the White Knights work on clean up.

"For a large company of recruited Dark Nuts, they sure are as zealous in their work as well as their skills in the sword." Shad commented.

"They really are a great help for Hyrule."

"I'd have to thank Princess Zelda for that." Garen added. "If it weren't for her, who knows what would happen to the brotherhood of Dark Nuts."

"No, Garen. You'd have to thank Link for that." Zelda countered. "It was his idea from the start when he suggested it to me."

A brief pause.

"I find this ironic" Garen suddenly said, his gaze distant. "Hyrule's entering a time of peace, prosperity, and new beginnings for new people like me and my kin. But its coming at the price of the Hero of Twilight's health and happiness." Garen's words had a heavy truth to it. All seven people felt saddened at the point made, and the silence that followed dragged them down even farther.

Telma broke the silence. "Well, looks like we aren't going to be any use at this point, so we'll be on our way back home. Okay?"

"Okay, you are dismissed." Zelda replied with a hint of sarcasm. Telma, Shad, Ashei, Auru, and Rusl went to exit the courtyard. Zelda and Garen then went into the castle, were makeshift cots and beds were being placed about the hall. Maids, Butlers, and Dark Nuts were tending to the wounded guards.

The two stopped just before the entrance to Zelda's chambers (now restored) when Garen spoke up. "Princess, if you would, I have to tell you about what happened during Link's rampage in the courtyard."

"Thank you Garen, but I think its best if we discuss it tomorrow." Zelda yawned. "We've already have more than enough to deal with for today. It's best we keep this quiet for now."

"I agree" Garen said. "Goodnight Princess Zelda, I have work to do." with a bow Garen departed, his metal boots echoing in clanks as he walked.

Zelda entered her bedroom, closed the door behind her, and sighed in exhaustion. _How did it end up like this? _Zelda thought. It was too much for her to think about. Slipping out of her royal garb and into her nightgown, she collapsed in her bed and let the comfort of sleep have her.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I own Garen, but not Legend of Zelda. That rightfully belongs to Miyamoto.<strong>

**Painfully wait for a long time? Please. But from this day onward you NOW must painfully wait for the next chapter.**

**I would like plenty of feedback and reviews please!**

**Next chapter: Therapy sessions and surprises.**

**- Chibitiza**


	4. Chapter 4 Eyewitness accounts

**Presents, Surprises, and Problems**

Chapter 4

_Eyewitness account  
><em>

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><p>Morning came to Hyrule in its usual fashion. The sun rose from the horizons of Gerudo Desert. Its golden glow warm and welcoming over the land of Hyrule. A golden cucco, perched on the eastern wall, crowed loudly to wake up its citizens of Hyrule from their peaceful slumber. In a time of peace and prosperity, everyone would be up and awake with a smile. However there were two people who weren't up and awake. One was out cold from the combination of a powerful hangover and a beer bottle to the head, and the other woke up late with troubles scrambling around in her head.<p>

The sun was directly shining in her eyes when Zelda awoke from her sleep. Groaning and struggling against lethargy, she sat up and stretched, before relaxing and getting out of bed. _Ugh...so tired... _A dreary yawn escaped her mouth. Shuffling over to the bathroom mirror to examine herself, she noticed that although she felt that she slept well, her body said that she hadn't. There was a faint shade of grey circling her sapphire eyes, her brown hair was mused up with frizzles at the end, and was that a strand of grey hair! Zelda gaped at the small silver line that was barely visible from the forest of brown. From the outward appearance, she looked at the hair with indifference. Inside, she mentally panicked. _OMG! Am I getting old? I'm like coming out of my teens and I'm already getting grey hair!_ Her hand instinctively reached for the offending strand to yank it out. _No, I can't yank it out; several more will take its place._ She thought, and begrudgingly moved her hand away from the offending strand. Now fully awake, she spent the next ten minutes getting dressed in her royal garb, and walked down to the great hall to have her breakfast.

"Good morning your highness," A Hylian maid greeted her with a bow. "It's rather unusual for you to wake up this late. Usually you would be up before the cucco crowed."

"What!" Zelda exclaimed in surprise, panicking. "I overslept? Oh Naryu! What time and day is it Marie?"

"Oh, its 10 o'clock, and it's your day off your Highness." The maid named Marie replied.

Zelda sighed in relief and sat down at her table. Breakfast was already there and from the lack of steam the food was emitting, it looked like it had been there for quite some time.

"I apologize about your breakfast your highness." Marie said apologetically "We hadn't expected you to come down this late, so I'm afraid the food's gone cold. We could reheat it if you'd like."

"It's okay Marie; I'll save it for lunch. I'm not that hungry anyways." Zelda said. "Oh, by the way" Marie added, "Captain Garen of the Hylian White Knights wants to see you at his tent."

"Thank you Marie." Zelda replied. Meet him a_t his tent? But that's where the Hylian White Knights are camped_. She had her meal packed and cut into a lunch bag and had it sent to her room. Then, she went out to the courtyard and headed to the west side of the castle courtyard; where Garen and the Hylian White Knights division camped out.

The Hylian White Knights division camped out on the western courtyard of Hyrule Castle. The Knights (or dark nuts) themselves were accustomed to living a lifestyle that resembled of an army during wartime. Occupying the Western Courtyard, numerous tents were sprawled out to cover the most space possible in a systematic fashion. Originally Zelda intended to have the White Knights to reside in soldier's homes in Castle town but despite her offers the Knights refused, preferring to live in tents as if it was tradition.

Not often did Zelda actually go visit the western side of the Castle Courtyard, and she hasn't gotten used to the presence of the area's new occupants. Most of the time when there was business that involved the White Knights, Garen would go visit her to conduct the business so when she entered the western side of the Castle Courtyard, she was both scared and fascinated at the same time. Scared because she felt like she was entering dangerous territory, Fascinated that this was a new experience to her. Unlike the normal Hylian recruits who spend time patrolling Hyrule and fleeing in their cowardice, the White Knights were actively sparring with each other, being zealous in their swordsmanship as well as their commitment to protecting Hyrule even during peacetime.

Setting foot on the campgrounds, Zelda felt lost as she tried to look for Garen's tent, if she knew what Garen's tent looked like. Meandering her way through the grounds she made her way through, fascinated by the view in a Dark Nut's lifestyle but cautiously turned at any possible crowd, fearing of creating an embarrassing incident. Curiosity got the best of her when at one turn; she went to investigate the sounds of shouting and clashing metal to find herself in the middle of a sparring match between two teams of several Knights. Screaming in surprise at every close call, she managed to run out of the match unscathed while the brawl went on uninterrupted. Hiding behind a nearby tent, she stopped to calm her nerves and catch her breath_. How can I find Garen's tent when all the tents look the same_? She thought in exasperation. Opening her eyes, she cursed her luck yet again when she saw several Dark Nuts cheering over a pair whom were engaged in an intense match of arm wrestling_. Oh no, they'll see _me... Panicking, she slowly edged around the tent's edge, trying hard not to draw any attention.

When she felt she reached the edge of the tent, she quickly turned around the corner…. and ran right into a Dark Nut.

The two people collided into each other with a THUMP! Zelda, because of her lighter and smaller frame, was knocked down to the ground onto her back. "Owww…."she groaned, propping herself up on her elbows. "Oh, sorry!" the dark nut apologized. Grabbing Zelda by the arm, the dark nut yanked her back up to her feet. Zelda felt pain as her arm was nearly pulled out from the sheer force. "Sorry!" the dark nut apologized again. "It's okay; it was actually my-"she was cutoff when she realized that the dark nut was wearing no armor plating. Zelda gawked at the sight as it was her first time seeing what a dark nut looked like without their armor up close. The dark nut looked humanoid, was about a head and a half taller than her and wore a chainmail shirt over leather padding. He had an almost skin-tight baklava that covered his entire head and face, and wore a metallic face mask that covered the upper portion of his face, leaving two holes made up of connecting circles. Zelda's mind went blank as she stared at the dark nut in awkward silence.

"Do you need something your highness?" the Dark Nut asked in concern. Finally snapping out of her blank stare, she hesitantly answered "D-do you where Captain Garen's tent is? He told me to meet him there for business...b-but I don't know where it is." At first glance the Dark Nut must've not understood her question, but then he burst out into laughter at the question. "He wants you to meet him? Don't tell me you and Garen have something for each other." Zelda's face turned a shade of pink as her royal garb. The Dark Nut laughed again at her reaction, saying "I'm just joking; Garen told us you would come see him." The Dark Nut turned towards the crowd gathered around the pair of arm wrestlers and hollered: "Hey Tychus! Know where Garen's tent is at!" A fellow Dark Nut among the cheering crowd hollered back. "Look in the Northwest corner of the campgrounds! It's got a Hylian Royal Crest on it, can't miss it!"

At that moment, A Dark Nut was flipped from the barrel on to his back. The victor of the arm wrestling match raised his arms out in triumph before helping the other up as a sign of sportsmanship. The crowd exploded into cheers and shouts, Zelda got caught in the moment and softly clapped in applause to the competition. "Uh your highness... do you know where to go now?" the Dark Nut reminded her. "Oh yeah! I forgot!" Zelda exclaimed in surprise. Now knowing where to look, she scurried off heading northwest as fast as her gown would allow her without tripping, shouting a hasty "THANK YOU!" to the Dark Nut before disappearing from sight.

_Ten minutes of searching later..._

Zelda pulled herself through the tent peering in. Garen had his back turned and was standing in a corner as if waiting for someone. Zelda froze at the sight that Garen was without his suit of armor and that he looked exactly like the dark nut she encountered earlier, except that he wore a red and silver half-cape over his shoulder to signal his rank as captain. _Is that what all dark nuts look like under their armor?_ she wondered. Looking around, she saw that the interior of Garen's tent was highly decorated. There was a rack where he kept his suit of armor, next to that lay his giant sword, rapier, and shield. On the opposite corner was a small desk with a lantern hanging over it for paperwork. Quietly, she stepped into the tent as if not to disturb him. A devious thought formed in her mind. _I wonder how long would it take for him to realize that I'm here_?

"Does it take you this long to find my tent?" Garen asked. The sudden question made Zelda jump. Nearly scared out of her wits, she regained composure and spoke.

"I don't visit this place often; I mean you always come to me whenever there's something that involves the White Knights, if you know what I mean."

"Right..." Garen was reminded of the fact that he always visits her when giving reports.

"So, what is it that you had me to meet you at your tent?" Zelda asked.

"It's about last night's commotion involving Link of Ordon."

"Oh...right" This time it was Zelda's turn to be reminded. She had forgotten that Garen wanted to tell her about it last night.

"Anyways, I would like to hear about it. And I would like to hear it in full detail."

"Very well, then. I will tell you what I experienced first hand." Garen then began his story...

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><p><em>(Flashback: The night of the Courtyard Brawl Garen's POV)<em>

_"Okay...the reports on the castle town square incident are finished" I said to myself. Breathing out a sigh, I slumped back into my chair in my tent. "Man, I didn't know that the paperwork involved in this position was this much." I looked at the stack of parchments and parcels that were piled on my desk. Getting up from my desk, I donned my armor and walked out of my tent. 'I should report this to Zelda' I thought and turned towards the castle. Walking in, I headed towards Zelda's chambers. "Princess Zelda?" I knocked on the door, "are you there? It's me, Garen". No response. "Princess Zelda?" I called out again. Still no response. _

_"Oh, she's not here at the moment." I turned around towards the voice, and instinctively drew my rapier, battle instincts taking over. "Wah! Don't hurt me!" the voice turned out to be a Hylian maid. "S-sorry" I apologized sheepishly after realizing my folly, and sheathed my sword back. "I didn't mean to scare you." _

_The maid I had scared finally brought her courage back up and faced me, still quivering from the scare. Then bringing up a small smile, she told me: "I'm okay; you just caught me off by surprise."_

_Giving her a moment to recover, I then asked my business. "I came here to see the princess to report to her about what happened at the Town square."_

_"Oh, I've just heard about that incident. It's really dreadful that Link's been arrested."_

_"Hmm" I agreed, giving a sage nod._

_"Anyways, the princes went out to Castle town for some business, or was it shopping?" the maid said with a puzzled look. "I don't remember, but she said she'd be back by nightfall."_

_"Thank you for telling me that." I graciously said. "You're welcome White Knight." the maid replied. I went back down to the courtyard with paperwork in hand. 'Maybe I'll give it to her when she comes back' I thought, walking along the halls. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived back at my tent, set the completed reports on my desk, and headed back out. 'Zelda's going to be back soon' I thought, noting the sunset. I was lost in thought when I heard an escalation in shouting, clashing of metal, and screams. 'Something's wrong' I thought. Normally if there was a commotion like that, it would be from a mock battle occurring on this side of the courtyard. However, the sounds are muffled, so it must be coming from the south end of the Courtyard. My thoughts are confirmed when a fellow Knight ran up to me and said: "There's a brawl in the Courtyard." _

_"Who's involved?" I asked with concern and authority._

_"Almost all of the Hylian Guard and Link are out fighting." The word Link caught me off by surprise. 'First the town square, now the courtyard?' I pondered._

_"What's more" the Knight added, "It's not the regulars and recruits who are winning, it's Link, and he's drunk as shit."_

_All previous thoughts that I had went out the window. If Link had gotten out, then it's the White Knight's duty to keep the situation contained._

_"Round up every Knight that's available!" I shouted to the Knight, "Rendezvous at the wall between Western and the Southern end of the Courtyard!" I rushed into my tent and grabbed my Large Broadsword and shield. Rushing out, I ran towards the dividing wall. Already there were several Knights in full armor waiting at the wall; several more were running alongside me to reach to our rally point. I made my way through and looked at the squad of Knights that have assembled. 'There's twenty, no thirty-five that have come, the rest are on patrol or are off-duty.' I counted in my head._

_"White Knights!" I shouted._

_"Yes sir!" the squad cried out in unison, giving me my full attention._

_"I'm making this brief, but I've called upon all of you to handle this situation. The situation is that the Hero of Twilight is on a drunken rampage, and we need to subdue him."_

_There were some murmurs between the gathered knights. "We need to contain this incident before word spreads out to hyrule, otherwise both Link's, ours, and Zelda's reputation are ruined. Keep in mind, the enemy is Link so subdue him, but don't kill him."_

_The whispers and murmurs stopped. Every Knight now looked resolute, after knowing the stakes on the table._

_"White Knights MOVE OUT!" I cried. The Gate was lifted open and Me and my thirty-five other Knights went into the fray, and stopped in our tracks._

_Regulars and recruits were running around like panicked cuccos, trying to escape from Link's drunken wrath. Some were quivering in groups, trying to hide from the drunk. Many were unconscious sprawled out in many odd places. Some were still conscious but were incapacitated from the beating they received. We then turned to watch Link who caught one unlucky soldier with his clawshot, pulled him back, delivered a barrage of fists and feet, tripped him backwards; and to add insult to injury, Threw a devastating punch to the soldier's groin, making a small crater in the ground._

_I swore that the Knights and I had one thought: "Is he really drunk?"_

_Our question was answered when we saw Link walk back to the center with an obvious drunken swagger, and sat down amongst several empty bottles. _

_"Knights remember, subdue him but don't kill him." I reminded them. and made our way towards Link. _

_Link spotted us making our way through the courtyard, and stood up stumbling for balance. "Oh...so you booyz wans moar eh?" Link slurred in a mocking tone. Suddenly, he leaned back and fell down sprawled on his back. From the looks of it, the booze had done our work. I motioned two Knights to silently grab him by the arms so he couldn't resist if he woke. _

_"Take him back where he belongs." I ordered. The two knights nodded and proceeded to drag Link back towards the castle while the rest of us turned back. _

_All of a sudden I heard a "WHAT THE F-" followed by the sounds of shouts, fists and feet hitting their mark, and armor pieces clattering to the floor. We all turned around and saw Link, standing and the two knights unconscious._

_We all gawked at the thought of how Link had done it. An uncomfortable silence fell on us on deciding what to do._

_"So who wants' to volunteer?" I heard a voice say. More uncomfortable silence. Finally a Knight stepped out in front to face the challenge. _

_Taking out a mace, he moved his way to Link in a battle ready stance. Link did the same except his weapon was his fists and feet. They circled each other for what seemed like minutes, Link being drunk was stumbling around. What happened next, I couldn't describe. The Knight lunged at what seemed like the right time to strike but at that moment, Link dodged the move and counter attacked with such ferocity in various fighting poses that I've never seen that when he was done, the poor volunteer was out cold. Massive dents in his armor. Realizing the threat, I said: "There's strength in numbers, I think four of us can subdue him." With that said, four more volunteered to try and challenge Link with confidence from my morale boosting comment. But I was in for a shock. When the fight started, it seemed like the Knight's coordination and numbers would win. But two seconds later, the four knights were on the floor groaning in pain. I groaned in disbelief, and decided to take him on myself. "No one volunteers, I'll try to settle this." I barked out. I did this because there were several knights who grew frustrated and angry at the fact that being beaten up by a drunk was a mockery to their pride. "The rest of you, surround the area. Don't let him out of this area. If he approaches, tackle and dog pile him. We can't afford to kill him with our weight, nor let him loose in Castle town." I ordered. _

_Turning to my opponent, I was nervous under my armor. My brethren knew that among the brotherhood, I was the best in both swordsmanship and in unarmed combat. I shrugged off my weapons and shields to match Link's fighting style. I gauged when Link was at his most unbalanced position, then lunged to strike. It was my mistake, before I knew it, I was being hit left and right. I desperately ducked and dodged with all I can to survive. Then he hit me with a barrage of punches to my chest each punch hurting me so hard I swore I wasn't wearing any armor, with the final punch sending me flying several meters back. I landed on my feet, groaning from the punches that Link gave me. I instantly backed off, towards the Gate entrance of the southern side of the Courtyard. _

_"Hold the line!" I shouted, "We're no match against Link as he is, even when drunk. Zelda might be able to get through to him, but she's still in Castle town at the moment! We'll have to wait for her to arrive, so as of now, hold your positions!" I shouted._

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><p><strong>Here ya go! Longest chapter yet by word counting. 3746 Words! Man, that's a lot of words.<br>**

**For those of you who are confused about addressing the Dark Nut/White Knight issue, I think that Dark Nuts are the name of "Brotherhood" they live under and that they're just a wandering group of mercenaries. The White Knights are just titles given to them by Zelda.**

**I request constructive reviews plz. They would be nice.**

**Purplegc: Liking your review, thanks for the critique about my grammar issues. o(^-^)o. Link will get rehab. He will. And as for Midna. The surprise is gonna get 'big'. Gah! I spilled something. *cleans up the mess*. Yes the Dark Nuts I'm referring to are I would like to say: "humanoids" The reason they don't disappear into a puff of smoke when either ko'ed or killed is that they aren't affiliated with evil anymore. Oh yes, I have more plans for that as well concerning the Dark Nut Brotherhood and the members themselves.  
><strong>

**- Chibitiza  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 5 How to help a drunken Link

**Presents, Surprises, and Problems**

Chapter 5

_How to help a drunken Link  
><em>

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><p>"We waited until you came back." Garen said.<p>

Having finished with his story, Garen let Zelda take a moment for the story to register in her mind.

Zelda though, was trying to make sense of what had happened after hearing Garen's testimony. She sat on a chair near Garen's desk to rest and work out the scenario.

Zelda's stomach rumbled, upsetting the silence. "Can we carry this discussion later? I'm hungry." Zelda finally said. A Cannon shot boomed in the air, signaling noon.

"Oh, okay. Want to carry this on here or in the castle?" Garen asked.

"The latter, I already had a hard time navigating my way through to your tent." Zelda blurted the answer out, trying hard not to remember the encounter with the Dark Nut she met on the way to Garen's tent.

Garen agreed and the two exited out of the tent.

"Would you like me to escort you through the encampment?" Garen offered.

"I'm fine. I think I can find my way though." Zelda hastily replied. It was already awkward enough for her to have Garen frequently visit her, even more so when he offered to escort her back to the castle.

"Take care." Garen said.

Zelda then scurried off in a direction she thought was the most efficient way to return to the castle.

"Princess Zelda!" Garen shouted suddenly with urgency. "What!" Zelda shouted back while running.

"That's the way to the-" Too late. Zelda had turned a corner and was out of sight. Moments later, there was a scream and a clutter of various sounds followed by a yowling cat over the noise of clashing blades, metal, and yelling.

"-sparring rings." Garen finished. A figurative sweat drop dripped on his head.

* * *

><p>Link woke up with the most painful headache of his life. His head was pounding with the force of a Megaton hammer; everything was a bit too bright even in the dark levels of the dungeon, and his stomach felt queasy from the lack of food and its contents comprised mostly of booze. Crawling over to the corner, he heaved out the evil that plagued his stomach in short bursts. Done with throwing up, he found a bucket of water near him with a note saying: "Here's to help with the hangover. ". Exhausted from heaving and gasping for breath, he checked to see if he was going to heave again. The sudden feeling of upchucking didn't come to him. Picking up the bucket, he greedily drank the water in large gulps like a thirsty beggar; some excess water flow spilling onto his face, hair and clothes in drops. Drinking the water helped quench his thirst and relieve his headache. Enough for him to think, but not enough to stop the throbbing pain pounding his head, particularly one spot in the back. Using his hand, Link padded through his hair until he felt a slightly sharper pain and his hand had felt an anomaly. Bring it back to see, he saw faint bits of blood on his fingertips. Wondering how he received a blow to the back of his head, he tried to remember what happened. All he could remember was that he was drunk, it was pitch black, he was fighting, and then he got hit in the head by something. Struggling to get up, he braced himself on the wall with his right hand to maintain his balance. There was a sound of chain links clinking from his hand. Puzzled, he looked at the hand he used to brace himself and saw that the chain links were connected to a cuff on his hand.<p>

_What? _Link stared at the restraints at his right hand, and then looked at his left. Matching that of his right hand was a handcuff that was attached to chain links. Looking down at his ankles, he found that not only his hands were cuffed, but his legs as well. Tracing the links back to the source, he found that they chained him to the wall opposite of the bar door. Link scoffed at thought of how far Zelda went to restrain him_. Great_... he thought_. Now I'm chained to the wall, and I won't be able to move much anymore_. Fortunately he found out the length of the chain was long enough for him to go as far as the center of his dungeon cell.

Bored, he shuffled back to the wall and sat next to the spot where the chains on his cuffs merge with the wall. Reaching into the folds of his tattered green tunic, he pulled out the twili pendant. Resting it on his palm, he deeply gazed at it. The orange markings took in the dim lighting, giving it a dark yet warm glow on the crystal. Ever since he received the pendant from Midna, he always kept it around his neck, even after she left him for the twilight realm. The pendant to him was a source of hope for him to cope with for each day he didn't see her. A reminder of the woman he loved. Link really didn't care whether if his reputation was destroyed or if Hyrule was taken over again. As long as he had the pendant, everything would be bearable. Gazing at the pendant, the dull blue eyes seemed to be rekindled with small embers of life and happiness. Link felt his right hand tremble subtly. _I'll survive_ Link thought. _I'll survive this punishment of serving time in jail, I have plenty of booze to last me about 2 weeks, and if I run out, I'll still be able to get some from that place. _Placing the pendant back into his tunic, Link reached into his magical pouch and pulled out a bottle of Goron Bourbon. He popped the cork, and took a sip. His right hand stopped trembling.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Zelda and Garen gathered in the study room. Garen had brought damaged breast plate armor and set it on the table. Zelda was busy browsing a book.<p>

"Last night, after you went to your chambers, I stayed up and gathered up some info." Garen started talking. Zelda looked up, intrigued that a dark nut would actually do some investigating.

"And?"

"There were several things that stuck out as odd." Garen replied.

"What are they?"

Garen started pacing the length of the tent, like a detective in deep thought. "First, I received a report from the two hammer knights that when they went to put Link back to his cell, they found no signs of any forced exit."

"Okay..." Zelda said, mind working to solve the puzzle. "What's next?"

"Next, I checked with a maid and asked her if there was any wine missing from the wine cellar. Here's what I found according to the maid: Link took 5 bottles of Naryu's nectar aged 120 years, 4 bottles of Labrynnan Liquor aged 80 years, 7 bottles of Ordonian draft aged 10 years, and 15 bottles of Goron Bourbon that recently came in. From what I recall from the incident, Link drank six bottles."

"Seven" Zelda corrected, "Telma smashed a bottle on Link's head. Remember?"

"Right, so if Link drank seven bottles, but took 31, then what are the 24 leftovers for?"

A thought from a conversation she had last night flashed in her mind.

"I think Link is planning to use the leftovers as an emergency supply for him to have while he's in jail.

"You think so?" asked Garen, surprised by the princess's answer.

"Yes, there's a reason why I went to Telma's bar after the incident in castle town square."

"And your reason is...?"

"To find out what was going on with Link since I last saw him before he ended up in the dungeon."

"Please do share" Garen requested.

"Gladly" Zelda replied, and began to recount the night at Telma's bar and what she learned that evening.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback: (Last night at Telma's bar)<em>

_"Well hi there yo' Highness!" boomed a bouncy Telma._

_"Telma, can we talk?" Zelda asked. "Why sure" Telma replied, "I have time, we can talk right now."_

_"I'm afraid that's not what I meant." Zelda explained. Telma nodded in understanding. "One second hon." Telma said, "CLOSING TIME! I NEED THIS PLACE EMPTY FOR SOME SPECIAL BUSINESS THIS NIGHT, SO PLEASE LEAVE. BUT NOT BEFORE PAYING YOUR BILLS!" she yelled to the patrons. The bar patrons groaned and complained, but nonetheless did as told. Once the bar was empty save for Zelda, Telma, and the rest of the Vigilante Group, Telma turned to Zelda and asked. "Now what is it you want to talk about?"_

_"It's about Link." Zelda said, getting straight to the point._

_"Oh. And what would you like to know about Link? I thought you know him more than we do, Sad to hear that the poor thing's in jail now. Can I get you something to eat?"_

_"Sure." Zelda replied, and went to grab her wallet to extract some rupees for payment._

_"Oh don't worry hon." Telma assured when she saw Zelda going for her purse, "It's on the house."_

_Rusl, Ashei, Shad, and Auru gathered at the bar where Zelda sat and took several empty seats around her. Telma shortly came back with some steaming Ordonian onion soup and set it down in front of Zelda._

_"So, what do you like to know about Link that you haven't already known? Don't tell me that you've got some feelings for him. Hmm?" Telma laughed. "What!" Zelda exclaimed at the question, her face slightly grew red at the mental image of what Link would look like if he hadn't stooped to drinking._

_"I'm just kidding hon." Telma laughed reassuringly. "Now what do you exactly want to know that you haven't learned from looking at him?" _

_"What exactly had happened to him? Last time I saw him; Link was still...Link, but just trying to cope with the recent breakup. And now when I saw him just recently, he was a completely different person." Zelda said bitterly. "And a Drunk too! So what happened?" Her eyes were begging for questions, telling Telma that she wanted to know everything._

_"Where should I begin...?" Telma said to herself. "I suppose you didn't know about what happened to Link in Ordon."_

_"What?" Zelda was puzzled from the statement._

_"You haven't heard about it?" Rusl asked questioningly, "He got kicked out of Ordon Village."_

_"What! How?"_

_"He was setting a bad influence to the kids, plus he was doing a poor job ever since he started drinking."_

_"When did he start?"_

_"He started the night before he came to see you about your 'offer'."_

_"Link brought the habit back to Ordon. At first, we thought Link had lost his touch in herding. He looked heartbroken and sad about something, but he wouldn't tell us anything about it. This kept on going for about 2 weeks until one night I found Link had kept a stash of Goron bourbon in his basement."_

_"Despite our warnings, he kept on with the habit and eventually, the Villagers and I decided that for everyone's sake, Link should leave Ordon."_

_"He took off once he caught wind of our discussion, didn't bring much stuff with him when he left. We kept his house intact, and the kids protected it as if it was a shrine. I didn't hear much of his whereabouts then after. Next thing I knew, I heard that Link was found in castle town, and took up a job."_

_"Where did he find a job?"_

_"Telma's bar."_

_"He came to me two months ago searching for a job." Telma said "When that boy came in, he looked so heartbroken that not even heart containers can fix it." _

_"What job did he take up? I can't think up of a position where Link's skills are of valuable enough for him to make a living."_

_"He came to me saying that he'd take any position that's open. At first it was difficult to find a job but then he took up the job of keeping peace in my bar in exchange for free food, drinks, and a place to stay in."_

_"What do you mean by keeping peace in the bar?"_

_"He would breakup any bar fight that sprung up during business hours. And girl, he was damn good at it, even if he did go a bit too far by knocking out my customers."_

_"Was he still drinking at that point?"_

_"Oh yes," Telma said with a sage nod. "He was still drinking at that point, and drank more and more each day. One time he accidentally took some wine from an old man, and it turns out that the wine was so strong that it knocked Link out after one cup. And a small one too! Knocked him into a coma for 4 days. I was so scared at that point that I asked the old man if there was any way to save him, but the old man told me that he would make it though. And sure enough, Link recovered swiftly with his peacekeeping skills sharper than a sword's edge. Bad thing is, it took more bourbon for him to get drunk, and he drank more frequently. I would always keep tabs on the amount that he drank to be sure, but eventually it ended up that he would be drunk on the job which somehow didn't affect his 'peacekeeping' skills whenever a bar fight would break out."_

_At this point, Zelda had finished her Ordonian Onion soup, listening intently as Shad, Ashei, Auru, and Rusl took turns telling Zelda tidbits of Link's drinking habits._

_"From what I've seen, whenever I'm at the bar, Link would always buy a spare bottle of bourbon to drink whenever he would be off of work." Rusl said._

_"A few weeks ago, I saw him once near the fishing hole. He had brought several bottles of bourbon with him and had stored them in that pouch of his." Ashei stated._

_"From the looks of what I saw, the rate of how many bottles he would go through in a day would be about 3 or 4 bottles a day." Shad said._

_"And whenever he doesn't drink any in a long time, his hands would start to tremble badly and act as if he was in withdrawal." Auru added._

_Zelda hadn't expected Auru's info. Link's addiction to alcohol was much more severe than she thought. She started to think about Link's health when she thought about the time._

_Looking outside, she had found out that night had fallen._

_"Oh shoot! I'm supposed to head back to the castle by now." Zelda said to herself, and stood up to leave._

_"Mind if we tag along hon?" asked Telma._

_"Oh, sure." Zelda replied. _

_"Let's talk on the way there." Telma said. _

* * *

><p>Silence took hold of the room as Zelda finished her story. Garen was leaning against a bookshelf comprehending what she had said.<p>

"Okay that would explain why Link had stolen those bottles of liquor from the cellar, but the final thing that bothers me is...this."

"Normally knights like your average Hylian guard were steel plating right? A normal person wouldn't be able to make a dent with their fists alone, although it is possible for a person like Link."

"And your point is?" Zelda queried.

"Look." Garen picked up the breast plate and held it in front of Zelda for her to see. Zelda gawked at the extensive amount of damage the piece of metal had taken. It was dented and deformed with numerous imprints of fists and various hand signs planted on the metal. Zelda was even more bewildered when she saw an imprint of what it looks like a hand showing its middle finger in a rude gesture.

"This is half an inch of steel plating."Garen explained. "This is how thick the armor plating is on the suits my dark nut brethren and I use. Link, in his drunken state, managed to beat the steel that I wore as breast plate into a pulp with his bare hands."

"Even after all that I have presented, this is the one thing that doesn't seem to make sense. I've seen many fighting styles that use unarmed combat, but the one Link was using was so bizarre that I couldn't tell whether if it was a fighting style or whether he was just plain drunk. And to train your fists to be strong enough to dent half an inch of steel is nearly that of godly caliber."

"I don't think I can solve this either, I would be able to look it up in the Royal Archives if I could witness it firsthand..." Zelda said this with half regret half wonder, trying to imagine Link punching an armored dark nut into submission.

"No your highness, I cannot allow you to do that for your safety's sake." Garen interrupted, alert from the comment. "I've already told you that my brethren and I can't handle Link when he's drunk, so we might not be able to be a considerable threat to him at all if he fights like that when sober."

The reality settled in with a silence between the two detectives, both of them trying to think of a solution to seeing Link's fighting skills. Finally, both of them sighed and gave up on the matter and moved to a new topic.

"Anyways," Zelda began "now we have a new problem."

"Link's addicted to alcohol, and for his sake, we need to break his addiction."

"How?" Garen asked.

"We need to starve him of his supply. Keep him contained in the dungeon for a few weeks, several if the situation demands for it."

"You can't do that; it'll upset the public when they find out that you're holding him for that long!" Garen objected. He stood up alert to the situation. "I'll have to explain it to them when the time comes." Zelda replied. "But no matter what, we can't let Link do this to himself. It would be better for everyone's sake if we reached out to help him get out of his problems."

"Hmm..." Garen returned to his leaning pose against the bookshelf deep in thought. "I guess it'll be worth it. Link saved Hyrule, now it's our time to save him."

"Then it's settled, we'll go with helping Link by starving him of his supply of alcohol. I'll handle the situation." Zelda said.

Garen got out of his pose and straightened his posture. Heading out the door, he stopped to turn and bow to her before exiting the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Here yak go! This one is another long one by my standards. +3000 words.<strong>

**And the rehab will begin. **

**-Chibitiza**


	6. Chapter 6 Don't Kill the Messenger

**Yo, Chibi here. This is probably the first time I've done something like a long time between updates as a fanfic author. Well what I did during my dormancy was spending a month doing nothing, and then inspiration struck me...hard. Ever since thanksgiving in 2011, I've been hammering away at the storyline and the overall plot, amassing 60+ double-sided pages of Ideas, Chapter content, rewrites, pertaining to pretty much about (possibly 12 chapters worth) and all of school shannigans hindering my progress. All of those notes, I have yet to transcribe onto word. Anyways...Here's my latest of PSAP that I had typed up so far. Just to tell you, I've already got the story arc ahead of this chapter figured out and am going along a hidden timeline that you guys won't know. But GOD! School was unforgiving, so just to tell you, I'm dormant during School days and active in the Summer. Read and enjoy this overdue chapter. NYAHAHAHAHA.**

_"This means telepathic dialogue"_

_This without quotations mean what they're saying in their head._

**Presents, Surprises, and Problems**

Chapter 6

_Don't kill the messenger_

"Nine-ty – nine – Beers – To – Go!"

Inside a jail cell, its lone occupant popped a cork from his favorite drink and swung it to his lips chugging rhythmically to the 'Song of Storms' in his head. It was a common shanty popular among sailors he learned from when he was 11. After a few chugs, he set the bottle aside and paused to the beat in his head before singing out the first verse which was woefully in the wrong key and with the wrong lyrics in some places.

_From the sky, to the ground_

_Rain is falling all around_

_waves crash at the shore_

_everything is at war_

_grab a beer_

_any beer_

_for it will be fun tonight_

_I got ninety-eight bottles to go_

He paused for a breath and stood up to sway to the rhythm of the interlude in his head; feet staggering around for decent footing from impaired motor coordination, and began singing to the second verse of the shanty. This version of the verse however had completely different lyrics and was very dirty in context.

_Screw the King, Screw the Gods_

_I don't give a damn 'bout the odds!_

_Let the kingdom burn, that'll teach 'em fer sure!_

_Fuck fate, Fuck me_

_Hell, Lets fuck destiny!_

_Let's all just go watch some porn!_

At the end of the verse, he collapsed on the ground and burst into laughter at the last line, wondering at the sheer absurdity of the term. As annoying as the song might be, it didn't bother anyone since Link was the only person who committed a crime severe enough to land him in jail for the past 3 months. As of the moment, the only person who was bothered by the song was Princess Zelda, who sat outside of his jail cell sardonically watching his drunken behavior putting all effort into refraining herself from marching into the cell and slapping him silly.

"Hey Zelda, wahsis (what is) porn anywaaa?" he smacked herself in the face with her hand in disgust and exasperation. "_Do I even dare answer the question?" _she thought. Zelda's intention for her visit was to confiscate the mystical bag of holding that held Link's equipment and alcohol supply without a fuss. However, Link was drunk when she arrived so Zelda had to go on a more subtle approach by talking him into giving the bag. So far, she had no success and the topic she started to use had completely fallen off track to Link's screwed up shanty.

"Hay Zaldah… wa's porn anyway?" Link repeated the question, this time with a drunken slur. "Ishounds (it sounds) sshoo Fuaannnie..." he gave a small chuckle from the thought.

At this point Zelda gave up from frustration and proceeded to leave the dungeon. At the doorway to the upper levels, she looked back at the prisoner and glared at him with a parting warning. "Hope you enjoy that bottle of bourbon, Link" she spat "That drinking habit of yours has gone too far, so enjoy it while you can because after that bottle, I swear that I'll make you never touch another bottle of bourbon again."  
>With a small *Hmph*, she strutted out of view, with a loud slam of the dungeon door to emphasize her point. Link blankly stared at the place where Zelda last stood for several minutes before the message finally reached through his intoxicated brain.<p>

"What the hell is with that bitch?" he wondered out loud.

* * *

><p>*Bang*<p>

Zelda stormed out of the dungeon level and closed it shut behind her with a deep sigh, taking in all of the fresh castle air her lungs could hold and exhaling. Anger and frustration was boiling her just under her skin. _That nerve of that man! _She thought. _Why does everything have to become so difficult when he's around?_

A small pulse of magic came from the back of her right hand, briefly revealing the imprint of a tattoo of three golden triangles stacked on top one another to form a larger triangle the bottom left glowing brighter than the other two. A transparent image of the princess appeared next to Zelda, shimmering into her view as she started walking down the corridor. _"It **was** expected, after all he was drunk when you visited him in his cell." _the figure said skeptically with little sarcasm.

_"Then make the plan you make actually works before we go with it, Tetra."_ Zelda reminded the image. "_Hey, you were the one who came up with the plan, I only told you its possible to talk him into handing out the bag in his stupor. Besides, you know as much as I do that I can only give you information within certain parameters." _replied the image. Zelda could only groan at her growing frustration.

Zelda's position as the wielder of Nayru's wisdom didn't exactly imbue her with infinite wisdom directly. Instead, the triforce fragment creates a separate conscious in Zelda so it could periodically communicate with her as a safety feature to protect the user from knowing **too** much; in the form of a ghostly hologram only Zelda can see and communicate with through thoughts. This ghostly double of Zelda (whom she called "Tetra") was Zelda's source of logic, foresight, and information; Often times giving whispering hints and explanations in the girl's head whenever she was stuck or showing up as a ghost when she needed someone to talk to. Tetra could only roll her eyes in slight annoyance when Zelda began telepathically ranting out everything related she remembers on a topic. The current topic: Much ado about Link

_"What is with that man? Honestly, I don't know a SINGLE thing about him! All that I know about him is that he first shows up cursed as a wolf with Midna riding on his back looking clueless. I don't know why I trust him with the request of saving Hyrule but I did! Din damn I think I was insane at the time! But guess what? I watch him single-handedly liberate not only Hyrule, but Midna's kingdom as well!"_

_"And your point is...?"_

Zelda mentally slapped herself. Tetra raised an eyebrow not understanding the frustration.

_"I have no IDEA who he is, but he goes around acting like he knows me! We only met at least seven times! And after going through the whole odyssey like it was nothing, the bastard goes AWOL. Leaving me with a whole crowd of people and trying to answer questions of 'who is that hero?' 3 months later, we're almost done with major reconstruction projects, I get a recruit come running at me like a cucco telling me that some 'demon' was starting up a creating havoc in Castle town square. I listen to him, get Garen and his knights, and what did I find?" _

_"Link, intoxicated with a 0.16 BAC charged with assaulting Corporal Ged Marlow's group who were 'supposedly' on patrol and causing 583 Rupees of property damage." _Tetra cited.

_"Thank you for answering, you didn't have to be that elaborate."_

_"Instructions duly noted."_ Tetra then faded out of Zelda's mind becoming dormant once again. Zelda stopped to pause and rub her temples. Although it doesn't seem to be physically demanding, telepathic counseling with Tetra ate up most of Zelda's mental stamina as it still ran on the magic meter. _Oh Nayru, why must you throw so much stress at me at the worst time possible? _At the question, the triforce once again pulsed and softly glowed. "_I didn't ask for your help Tetra, it was rhetorical."_ The mark went dormant once again. Zelda had a sinking feeling in the back of her mind she shouldn't have but should have mentally asked the question.

The whole mental conversation sullied her mood all the while and Zelda was already irritated from the thought that she wasn't getting any time for herself. Getting even more stressed from the fact there was always something to prevent her from having time for herself. This now made her angry and her mood began to affect the air around the castle. Although times like these are uncommon, having a stressed and angered matriarch like Zelda around the castle has the potential to ruin anyone's and everyone's day. There was a past incident where a foolish advisor berated her for why she's not fit for the throne and tried to suggest some selfish decree to be passed when Zelda was in that exact mood. She snapped. What happened next had all of the castle staff and military frightened to the core and the advisor met a humiliating and unusual punishment which served as an example to everyone not to mess with her when she's having a bad day. Miraculously, she returned to her state of normalcy the day after as if the incident never occurred. If rumors circulating through the castle were true, the scariest part was the expression on the princess's face. No one ever speaks about it as it had haunted them for weeks before the image was swept under the rug and forgotten. So the moment she exited through the doors to the castle dungeon, the whole atmosphere of Hyrule Castle had changed from calm to ominous with doom clouds lurking around the corner. Every servant and staff member who had served the royal family before Zelda's bad day incident tensed up in fear and quickly went to warn those who didn't have that much experience to stay clear of the princess and obey any order that came from her without questioning if they valued their lives and dignity. Any questions and issues that arise that needed the matriarch's involvement were to be put on hold and sent to her later.

This was the situation that Hilda was facing right now as she watched the princess walk by, her frustration and anger emanating as a miasmic aura. The 16-year old Hylian castle maid had finally found Zelda approaching her location after several minutes wandering around the massive interior of the castle. The blonde had with her an urgent message sent by Garen and the situation in the message needed the princess in person immediately. Garen was busy trying to deal with the situation so as she happened to walk out the door, The Captain of the White Knights Division immediately told her to search for the princess and the situation had escalated to a point where the princess's presence could pacify the tensions. However, the minute Hilda went to search for the princess, a fellow maid came by in a hurry warned her not to saying now is a very bad time to do so and if she did it would mean a fate worse than death. Despite the warnings of the fellow staff member, Hilda continued with her search for the princess in the castle.

True to the maid's word, the moment Hilda saw Zelda; she now knew why it was a bad time to approach her. In the eyes of the maid, Zelda had accumulated an aura as dark as the shadow beasts encountered during Zant's invasion. Her expression could easily scare a Darknut into fainting if she snapped and she is on the verge of breaking out in anger; a bad time indeed. Ducking behind a nearby suit of armor, she tried to calm herself as her heart was racing as fast as a Goron could roll at top speed. Hilda quickly went over her options. She could leave and hope for the best, but the task she was given was top priority and if she strained her ears, she could easily hear the situation outside was deteriorating. And if Zelda happened to stumble upon the conflict..., Hilda shuddered. Option Two was to confront her about this. True, chances are she would be given a fate by the princess so horrible that even Ganondorf wouldn't want to talk about, but there was that small hope the princess would remain civil and hear her out and hopefully, even calm down long enough to realize it was important and it would've made the day worse if she ignored it. But what was the better option? Hilda gulped knowing the what the best option was. Taking a deep breath, she tried to muster as much courage as she could hold. _Oh please Faore, for the love of everything, please protect me from any punishment from the princess should I anger her._ She silently prayed. Now would be the time or the princess would be gone. Quickly making final adjustments to make her as friendly as possible (rubbing away wrinkles on her outfit, straightening her blond hair, etc.); Hilda gathered her courage and approached the princess.

"Um… your highness?" she timidly squeaked. Zelda turned on her in an instant, looking irritated. "...What is it?"

Hilda's courage instantly plummeted down to a quarter heart. The maid She was shaking head to toe and her instincts were screaming at her to ditch everything and run.

"Uh…I…uh…" she stammered. She was already in cold sweat.

Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have something to tell me?"

Hilda for the fear of messing up if she spoke, nodded as carefully as she could. Not too fast. Not too slow.

Zelda paused for a thought seemingly frustrated. This day of events was really starting to get on her nerves. She had the urge to deny the maid's message and forget everything but knew better. It was the ruler's duty to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the kingdom and even a single message left unheeded could spell disaster and the last time she made that mistake, she had underestimated Link's unpredictability and left the castle to fend for itself from a drunk Link when she personally left the castle for shopping and to have a chat with Link's acquaintances. The mistake sent 1/4 of the whole Hylian Royal Guard out of commission to the infirmary which now needing renovation and expansion to accommodate the massive influx of beaten-up and unconscious soldiers. And on top of that, she made the same mistake when she ignored the message that the twili race had invaded through the mirror, It led to the twilight invasion and the events that led to the kingdom's current predicament.

"I'm not in the mood to hear out anymore events of the day. But, I'll make this an exception." Zelda finally relented.

Hilda felt slightly relieved that the princess was still in her benevolent mood to hear her out.

"But-" Hilda tensed up.

"-this better not be something that directly needs my presence." Zelda warned. Hilda opened her mouth to talk but no words came out. The warning Zelda gave practically ruled Hilda's intended topic out of bounds, and to speak of it would mean she failed to heed the warning and two; she could possibly trigger Zelda's already sensitive anger and suffer from the princess's wrath. But the urgency of the message given to her meant that she would have to hear it.

"Well? I'm waiting..."

"Umm... about that warning you gave to me?" Hilda fidgeted (trembled more than fidgeted).

"Mmm hmm?"

"It's actually a request by Garen of the -"

Zelda clicked off at this point and walked past the girl, ignoring the message.

"Princess! W-wait!" Hilda stammered, catching up to the princess.

"It's urgent!"

"I'm not hearing a word of it."

"You need to-"

"Hilda!" Zelda whirled to Hilda, catching the maid off guard and making her stumble backward to her rear. They were at the front door to the courtyard and Hilda could hear noises and commotion creeping beneath the cracks of the brazen door. She now trembled more in fear of the princess opening the door and seeing the situation rather than the possible punishment the ruler was going to inflict, eyes darting between door and princess's aqua eyes now cold as celestial steel.

"I've had enough of these games of telephone and send the messenger; I've just had enough of this. Today's supposed to be my day off from royal governing duty and yet I'm still running around, trying to fix little problems here and there like Link, with you as the messenger!"

Silence now filled the room. Zelda leaned close to Hilda, the princess's expression unchanging.

"Do you understand?"

Hilda, frightened like a baby deku nut, nodded furiously.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going out to get some fresh air."

Hilda paled and scrambled to stop Zelda.

"Zelda don't ope-"

Too late, Zelda already opened the door and was now speechless at the sight in front of her. Once again, there was a brawl in the southern courtyard.

Zelda's last straw snapped.


End file.
